If you’re a parent, you know you can’t give your child every single thing he or she wants. If you do, you’d end up with one ruined kid. A lot of us know this, but when it comes to being a child of God ourselves, we tend to forget that small nugget of wisdom; at least I tend to forget it. I ask God for all sorts of weird things:
God, please bless me with long, thick hair. You know, hair that’s similar to the weave I like to wear.
God, I want a husband that is fine, like Aquaman fine, but that’s Christian, a good dad, and romantic. Oh, and God, can you make sure he has all the other 20-30 things I want on my list?
God, if you want to go ahead and make me rich, please do it and do it now. If you do, I wouldn’t have to worry about being broke.
Yeah, that’s just a preview of the crazy prayers I let come out of my mouth when I’m talking to the Lord. I can only imagine the laugh I give Him on a day to day basis. If I’m honest though, I get so mad and so frustrated when I really think I want something and I ask God for it, only to see my prayer either being delayed or never happening. Internally and sometimes out loud, I’m in this tug of war where I want to trust that God is good. I want to trust that He knows what’s best, but I want what I want when I want it. I look at scriptures like this one and think, are you kidding me, God??
Psalm 37:4 (NLT) Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.
Really? Is this some kind of joke? Where’s the catch? Why is God not popping out of the clouds shouting, “Gotcha”?
I just don’t get it. I don’t get why God is making it seem like He’ll give me whatever I want in this scripture. But I think me, and a lot of others completely disregard the first part of that scripture and go straight to the part about getting what my heart wants. Let’s revisit that delight part. Merriam-Webster’s dictionary showed me that delight means to take great pleasure. You know, something that is so good, you’re kicking your feet in joy.
When was the last time you felt that way about God? Heck, I’m asking myself the same thing!
God wants us so excited about Him, so into Him, that He wants us squealing with joy, ready to be with Him, ecstatic even. I’ve noticed that when I start to get this way about Him, I change. Of course, this change doesn’t happen right away, but the more I find myself excited about Him and the Bible, my heart starts getting the warm fuzzies. I start to pray a bit more different. I start having the strangest thing happen—my desires change. I want to pray for that person who was rude to me the other day. I want to have hope that my son will start to listen to me more. I want to see my friend get married even if it happens before me. As I take delight in the Lord, he molds my heart, shaping it to be more like His and changing my desires in the process.
Man, God is so good.
I think we need to really look at our hearts and think—If we really really start taking pleasure in God, and really open up that Bible, we’ll see a heart change. We may not get the money or the guy and I may never get my long hair, but if I impact the world around me in a positive way and for God’s glory, isn’t that the better thing?
Amazing God, I don’t understand everything about You and Your Word. I am definitely not always happy when You don’t give me a yes to every prayer I shoot up. I think sometimes that You’re withholding things from me and I get upset about it. Yet, You show me, even with raising my own son that sometimes You have to make choices as a parent that the child will never understand. And sometimes those choices don’t need an explanation, they just need trust. So, God, I trust You. I trust that You will help me with delighting in You. I trust that You will take care of my heart, that You know what’s best and that I can rest in that truth. May Your Word continue to change me for the better. I love You, now and forever. In Jesus’ name, amen.